"Simba!"

The thunderous boom of the collapsing sinkhole made the desperate cries of the worried queen nearly inaudible. But still she raised her voice even higher, praying to the great kings that it wasn't her mate's time to join them.

"Simba!" Nala shouted as she waited with baited breath for any response. Soon the dust finally settled, allowing for a much clearer picture of the sudden abyss. But the only feature of the picture were dozens of inanimate boulders. She anxiously pawed at the ground as she tried to look for any movement, tuft of her mate's red mane, just anything to ease her frazzled nerves. And her daughter's call of "Daddy!" only added fuel to the fire.

"SIMBA!" she yelled again as she stuck her head down to see if that could enhance her vision.

Kiara began briskly walking around the perimeter of the chasm to see if she could make out anything. But all that met them was silence. The anxiety building up inside of her manifested itself into little tears that poked through her ducts. She couldn't believe it, just moments ago she was racing against her younger brother on their way to the elephant's concert until he got called away for his Lion Guard responsibilities. And then this freak accident had to occur! "Why did I question mom?! Why didn't I just move when she told me?! Then dad wouldn't have had to save me…we'd all be okay" she silently blamed herself as she continued to walk around, with each step getting slower and slower as the gravity of the fatal situation was crushing her hopes.

Meanwhile…

An unamused chorus of grunts and groans echoed on the other side of the savannah as the guard worked tirelessly to free the numerous stuck antelope. Fortunately their efforts were paying off and no injuries were seen; just a little mud on their legs that a quick dip in any of the newly formed streams couldn't cure. Soon only one remained. "Giddy up ante-lanty-ope!" Bunga playfully commanded as Fuli and Kion pulled on the horns of the stuck antelope he was currently sitting on.

Then all of a sudden there was a crushing **BOOOOOM** That deafening noise made everyone pause and look around.

"Whoa! What was that?!" Bunga asked.

"Looking" Ono replied, taking the initiative. Being the keenest of sight, it didn't take him long to see the cause of the rumbling sound, but sheer horror crossed his mind when realized the severity of what occurred. "**GASP** HAPANA! A sinkhole! Someone's fallen in! And…and I think it's the king!" he frantically reported.

"Simba?!" exclaimed Bunga.

"Dad?! Is he alright?!" Kion asked as his ears slicked back in worry.

"I'm sorry Kion. I…I couldn't tell" Ono replied as he shamefully lowered his head.

"Kion, go! We got this" Fuli said as her levelheadedness brought everyone back to their senses.

Kion perked up and said, "Thanks Fuli. Ono, lead the way!"

"Affirmative!" he saluted with his wing and both of them took off at speeds that could've rivaled Fuli's.

"Dad…please be okay…please be okay" Kion internally prayed as he ran and kicked up grass blades in his wake. Thankfully all that conditioning and training didn't make his legs tired by how hard he was pushing them. He heard the stories about how his great uncle made him an outcast and essentially an orphan until he was adopted by Timon and Pumbaa. All because he wanted a responsibility that he ultimately couldn't handle. Although the dynamics would be completely different, he wasn't ready to live his life without his father by his side. Not without his play buddy. Not without his sometimes critical teacher. Not without his idol. Not now. Not ever!

"C'mon! C'mon! Move it! The faster we get you out, the faster we can help Kion!" Bunga now impatiently said as he kicked the antelope's sides, garnering a sympathetic yet very annoyed glare from the grounded animal.

"Easy little B, I got just the trick" Besthe calmly assured as he placed his large snout underneath the antelope's belly and lifted him up out of the mud like it was nothing. "There we go. You're all free and safe" he smiled.

Before any of them could utter a thank you, Bunga jumped off the beast and said, "Great job big B, now let's go help Kion and Simba! Til the Pride lands' end!" "Lion Guard Defend!" the rest group declared, finishing their motivational chant before running as fast as they could to catch up with their friends.

"Mrrrrrrroooowwwwww…" a low moan grumbled underneath the debris. Every breath hitched due to the weight of heavy boulders upon his thoracic cavity, which by some miracle didn't crush his lungs completely. However…that was the only blessing in the current predicament he was in as all of the sand and dust he inhaled burned them like the hottest day of the dry season. Aches and stinging scrapes felt like they was covering his entire body – as if shred of his protective fur didn't remain. Another sharp inhale caused more inflaming irritants to enter his sensitive nostrils.

**COUGHCOUUUGHCOUGHMrooooooo…" the buried beast wheezed, but this groan was different. This was a sound of finality – one that should only be heard when their circle is completed. Whether or not that animal chooses to heed that call belongs solely to them. And this particular lion whose benevolence, bravery, fiery attitude and compassion were compared favorably to his father, waged this battle within his battered mind.

"…I…I can't move…can't breathe…it's crushing. Hurts…everything hurts…I can't…I can't get out. Is this it? Is this how I complete my journey?"

"Only you can make that call, my son. But remember who you are. What you've done. And what you have. Only then will you be satisfied with your decision. I believe in you Simba, and know that I am proud of the lion you've become."

"F-Father?"

Whether it was real or imaginary, thanks to that heavenly intervention the tides shifted. Where there was once silence, his ears now picked up on muffled shouting.

"…N-Nala? My mate…she's calling me. I have to get to her."

Where there was once an overall penetrating bone ache, now there was a surge of un-paralleled energy. With a slight shift of his right front paw, a small rock rolled aside letting in a stray ray of sunlight into the hazy tomb.

"Kiara. Kion. My cubs. I can't abandon them. I won't abandon them!"

That powerful mind declaration enabled him to will his back legs to move up under him, but not without consequence. "Rrrrrrrsssssssh!" he hissed as another large rock fell onto his tail.

"NO! I won't go down like this! I refuse! I must protect my kingdom! I must protect the circle of life! I am the king!"

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" With a powerful yell and against all his sore protesting joints and muscles, the mighty king pummeled his way up through the debris, scattering the rocks around him. **COUGHCOUGHCOUGH** His lungs expelled the harmful dust and greedily inhaled the clean air, but his coughing fit did nothing to ease the frazzled nerves of the two worried onlookers.

"SIMBA!" "DADDY!" the lionesses concurrently shouted when they saw him emerge from the rubble.

Despite the massive headache he was feeling, Simba managed to look up, though he had to squint his eyes a bit until his pupils could adjust to full on sunlight. In the loudest voice he could muster he yelled, "I-I'm okay Nala! I'm…I'm o…" but those words fell flat once the adrenaline wore off. His head drooped a bit, his eyelids slowly shut against his wishes and his legs felt wobbly underneath him. In no time at all his motor functions shut down and he collapsed onto his left side with a harsh thud.

"SIMBA!" yelled Nala as her mate laid lifeless on the ground, which fortunately was far from actuality. From her vantage point she couldn't see the slow yet steady rise of his chest which signaled he was still alive. But for how long was anyone's guess, and one that nobody wanted to make.

"DADDY PLEASE! WAKE UP!" Kiara pleaded as more tears flowed down her muzzle. She wasn't sure what was worse – not seeing him at all or seeing him looking dead to the world. She dared to inch closer to the ledge to see what happened to him, but the ground started to crumble underneath her.

"KIARA! GET AWAY!" screamed the queen, she couldn't bear the thought of having two members of her family trapped down there hurt and unconscious. There was no hesitation on the cub's end this time and both of them raced further up the hill to safety. She immediately nuzzled against her seeking all the comfort she could get.

"MomI'msorryIdidn'tmeantooI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!" she rambled out, crying into her leg.

"Shhhh…it's okay. It's not your fault" she assured as she used her free paw to rub her head.

"Yes it is! I should've moved when you told me to then dad wouldn't be stuck and hurt and-"

"Kiara" she said, her voice sharp yet kind. She looked up at her through her moist eyes and the queen spoke, "You didn't do anything wrong. This is natural occurrence that no one could've predicted. Your father is a tough lion. He battled Scar and his army of hyenas in a raging fire. He'll pull through this. You'll see" she smiled but Kiara didn't seem convinced as she buried her nose back into her mother's leg.

"But…but it's not fair! It shouldn't have happened to him!" she cried and Nala couldn't argue that. He was dealt horrific ordeals that would've destroyed anyone else, but he always rose out of the ashes of his turmoil stronger than ever – albeit a bit more cautious and tense at some moments. Those were the scars that remained, but he refused to let him be ruled by them if he could help it.

She looked over at the smoky hole, then closed her eyes. "Great kings…please…please don't let him join you. Please don't let it be his time" she prayed.

She was taken out of her thoughts when she heard, "Kion! Over here!" Ono swooped in with her cub right on his trail.

"Mom! Mom!"

"Stay right there!" she ordered and Kion immediately skidded to a stop while Ono landed on a nearby rock.

"Why? What's wrong? Is dad-" but he didn't finish his question once he heard Kiara's muffled weeping. His pupils grew wide at what this could've meant. He sat on his haunches and stared at the ground in a daze. "No…no…" he whispered as he closed his eyes. Tears started to squeeze out from in-between his eyelids and his whole body shook. Ono could only watch his friend's family grieve their loss. He closed his eyes and lowered his head in respect for his king as his orange crown of feathers drooped as well.

"Kion, listen to me" Nala softly said. The young cub looked up, eyes watery and filled with despair. "Your father will be okay." She said with such conviction that he couldn't help but perk his ears up. "But we can't approach the edge or else it'll crumble" she pointed out.

"Then how do we help him?" he asked, fearing the answer.

"First we need to figure out if has any serious injuries. If not, then we just have to let him rest until he gains enough strength. Ono."

"Y-Yes my queen" he replied as he stood at attention.

"I need you to fly down and report back anything you see on him. Scrapes, bruises, blood" Kion shuddered at that word and Kiara clutched her leg a little tighter. "Anything. And press your head against his chest to check for a heartbeat. Understand?"

"Affirmative!" he saluted.

But before he had a chance to fly down another voiced boomed, "Don't worry your Majesty! Lion Guard to the rescue!" Bunga was careening on all fours towards their location with Besthe and Fuli close behind. Knowing his friend's reckless nature Kion immediately stood up and screamed, "BUNGA! WAIT!"

But it was too little too late.

"Zuka Zama!" he yelled as he performed a triple summersault into the air before falling straight down into the deep gorge. "Woooaaaaaaaah!" he screamed.

"Little B!" Besthe called out and all of them went to the edge despite the inherent danger. But they quickly backed up when the edge of the gorge started to crumble, inadvertently causing more debris to fall.

Down below Simba's ear did perk up at all the commotion, but he was in no shape to move even if he wanted to. Everything felt heavy…like something was pinning him, and he prayed against all odds that the sudden rockslide wouldn't touch him. He wasn't sure if he could survive this onslaught. He wanted…needed that surge again, at least if nothing else to calm his family down with his voice and let them know he was still alive.

Unfortunately…he would get it in the worst way.

"OOHF"

**POP**

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOARRRRRRRRRooooooooooo" Simba's eyes shot open as he let out that unsettling yowl.

"DADDDY! DAD! SIMBA! YOUR MAJESTY! BUNGA!" Every kind of name and title was yelled out once they heard the pained cry. The aforementioned lion looked over to see what happened. He hissed as he quickly lifted himself up a bit using his bruised front paws, but what he saw through the settling dust had his blood boiling and freezing at the same time.

A large lump appeared to be nearly protruding out of his skin on his right hind leg, and right next to him was Bunga lying flat on his back amidst smaller rocks no bigger than his toes. It didn't take long for him to put the pieces together, but unfortunately the shock wore off and the immense pain came stampeding through like a herd of wildebeest. "GRAAAAAAAAAAH!" he roared as he gritted his teeth. He had to lay back down, the strain was becoming too much.

Bunga quickly popped up like he normally does with a smile on his face, completely obliviously to the damage he inflicted. "No need to shout your majesty! I'm here to save you" he proudly declared as he ran over to his head. But instead of getting a relieved welcome, Simba took a swipe at the honey badger, nearly slicing his dark blue belly wide open with his sharpened claws. "Whoa! What was th-"

"DON'T…TOUCH…ME!" he growled and quickly laid his head back down.

Bunga wisely took a few steps back. He'd never seen Simba so angry before, and that was saying something. His pupils were slim slits and it could've been his imagination but it looked like they were surrounded with a tinge of red. Every strand of fur on his body was standing up like little needles. Looking him over he could see why he was so disgruntled.

A trail of blood ran down the side of his head; if it wasn't for his red mane being in disarray one would've never guessed he suffered an injury there. A small depression obscured by large purple colored bruise on the side of his chest...most likely a broken rib. The tan of his front paws were becoming mottled with hues of reds and blues.

But these were nothing, as far as he was concerned. He himself rarely got these, and even if he did he'd usually just brush it off and keep on going. And he was the king, the toughest of the tough. He heard the stories his uncles told him and saw it in action himself so for the life of him he couldn't understand why all that rage was directed towards him. But his eyes finally landed on the most prominent injury. He had to cover his mouth before he lost all the grubs he'd eaten for breakfast.

"Y-Your leg…" he whispered.

He didn't know much about how things worked in the body but he knew a leg wasn't supposed to look like that. It wasn't supposed to be lower than the other one. The top part of the leg bone looked like it would pop out of the skin at any moment. And it made his leg open up in an unnatural angle. Suddenly a small gasp exited his lips as it finally dawned on him what he had done. He landed on his leg. He injured the king…possibly crippled him forever. All because he was all "go go go!" instead of thinking through his actions. And Simba paid the price.

"…Hapana" Bunga turned around and saw Ono perched on the rock behind him, taking in the sight of the battered ruler. He didn't even hear him fly down. He redirected his astonished gaze onto the now smaller-looking honey badger and asked, "W-What happened?"

"I-I didn't mean to. I-It was an accident. I was only trying to help" he explained in futility as tears pricked through his eyes. "W-Will he be okay?"

"I…I don't know, but I need to check for any other injuries and report them to the queen" Ono replied. He hopped over to Simba but Bunga warned, "Careful Ono, he…he swiped at me…"

"No surprise" he thought but didn't voice it. His friend didn't need that. Instead he nodded and lightly placed his earhole against Simba's chest. But even his downy head caused the king's eyes to shoot open and he let out a menacing growl.

Ono swiftly got off of him and rambled out, "Please forgive me your majesty! Queen Nala sent me down to check on you but I should've asked before touching you that was dumb of me I'm sor-"

"Ono" he gravelly said and the keenest of sight sealed his talkative beak and stood at attention. "I'm" Okay? Far from it. She'd know that he would just be saying that in order to not make her worried, which would worry her even more. "…in a lot of pain…but alive" he settled on.

"W-What hurts?" he tentatively asked.

"Everything" he thought but that wasn't very descriptive, and if he was going to get treatment in time they needed details. "…Concussion. Bruises…on my paws, back and tail…that I can feel anyway. More I'm sure. Hard…to breathe...a little. Broken rib. Leg" he winced at the ingrained image of the injury "Dislocated" he finished before releasing a short exhale and settling further into the ground.

"Y-Your majesty?" "…Simba?" Ono and Bunga tentatively called out. Anxiety increased their heartbeats when he didn't respond after a few seconds.

"…M'here" he whispered. But for how long none of them knew.

"Don't worry your majesty, we'll figure something out and recuse you" Ono saluted and flew out.

Bunga looked at the ground and kicked a stray rock when he said that. "…I should've…should've…" he whispered to himself, not knowing what he could've done. Thinking was never his strongest attribute, he knew that and the whole "Bunga the Wise" debacle proved it – it was all instinct with him. And that had gotten him out of plenty of jams before, but this time, it just made things one billion times worse. He sat down, curled up and sighed.

"Honey badgers are only smartest when they think things through" Rafiki's words echoed in his head.

"…I don't think I can live with this" Bunga sorrowfully said as he curled up tighter, letting the tears wash away some of the dirt that accumulated on his body.

Will the team be able to rescue Simba and Bunga or will the honey badger have to live with the consequences of his actions? Tune in for the next chapter!

Hey guys, hope you liked this AU, and sorry if it made anyone squeamish. Thanks for taking the time to read it!

I don't own The Lion King or Lion Guard, just my imaginative capabilities.